Top 10 Bizarre Sleep Habits of the Rich

There’s a popular myth that the rich never sleep: they’re too busy buying islands,
founding startups, and casually flying to space. In reality, wealthy and famous
people definitely do sleep they just do it in some truly bizarre ways. From
oxygen capsules to 2 a.m. workouts, the sleep habits of the rich can make your
midnight phone scrolling look downright wholesome.

Below, we’ll tour ten strange sleep routines linked to celebrities, athletes,
executives, and historical geniuses. We’ll look at what they actually do,
why they say it “works,” and what science suggests about copying their habits
in normal human life. Spoiler: just because it’s expensive or extreme doesn’t
mean it’s smart.

1. Michael Phelps: Training in an “Altitude” Bedroom

Who he is

Michael Phelps is the most decorated Olympian in history, with 28 medals and a
net worth in the tens of millions. When you dominate at that level, your training
doesn’t stop at the pool it continues straight into the bedroom.

The bizarre habit

Phelps has reportedly slept in a custom chamber that mimics high-altitude
conditions, roughly like living high in the mountains. The air inside is thinner,
forcing his body to adapt by making more red blood cells. The idea is simple:
sleep low on oxygen, compete high on performance.

Should you try it?

For elite athletes, altitude or hypoxic sleeping can improve endurance and
oxygen delivery. For everyone else? It’s overkill, expensive, and can make you
feel lousy if not monitored correctly. You can get a lot of the same benefits
from boring-but-free habits like regular cardio, strength training, and
actually going to bed on time.

2. Rashad Jennings: Napping in a Hyperbaric Capsule

Who he is

Former NFL running back Rashad Jennings made millions on the field and later as
an analyst and media personality. With that kind of punishing career, recovery
becomes its own full-time job.

The bizarre habit

Jennings has described sleeping in a hyperbaric chamber a pressurized capsule
that delivers high levels of oxygen. These chambers are normally used
therapeutically, but some athletes use them to speed up healing and improve
sleep quality. Think of it as a sci-fi bunk bed that whispers, “Regeneration
mode: ON.”

Should you try it?

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy does have medical uses and may support healing in
very specific situations. But for general sleep? The price tag alone rules it
out for most people, and it’s not something to use casually without medical
supervision. A high-quality mattress and a dark, quiet room are still a much
more realistic “upgrade” for your sleep hygiene.

3. Tom Cruise: The Soundproof “Snoratorium”

Who he is

Tom Cruise is one of the highest-paid actors on the planet and is famously
intense about his craft. When you’re filming action movies in your sixties,
sleep isn’t optional it’s stunt insurance.

The bizarre habit

Cruise reportedly sleeps in a custom soundproof room his household calls a
“snoratorium.” The goal: total acoustic isolation, both to protect other people
from snoring and to shield him from noise that might disturb his rest.

Should you try it?

You don’t need a Hollywood budget to borrow this idea. Thick curtains, rugs,
a white-noise machine, or even a fan can dampen noise enough for deeper sleep.
The big takeaway isn’t “build a snoratorium”; it’s that protecting your sleep
from interruptions is worth a little effort (and, ideally, less construction).

4. Cristiano Ronaldo: Sleeping in 90-Minute Blocks

Who he is

Soccer superstar Cristiano Ronaldo is one of the richest athletes on earth.
With a global brand and intense training demands, his day is carefully structured
right down to the length of his naps.

The bizarre habit

Ronaldo is known for using multiple sleep periods spread throughout the day,
reportedly in 90-minute cycles. That’s roughly one full sleep cycle at a time,
repeated so he can hit a total of about seven to eight hours overall while still
training, traveling, and doing media.

Should you try it?

Sleeping in full 90-minute blocks is actually consistent with how your brain
moves through sleep stages. But splitting your rest into several chunks across
the day can clash with normal work and family life. For most people, one long,
predictable overnight sleep is still the gold standard.

5. Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson: 3–5 Hours and Two Workouts

Who he is

Dwayne Johnson went from struggling football player to wrestling icon to
movie star and business mogul. His net worth and his biceps are both enormous,
and he credits his discipline more than his genetics.

The bizarre habit

The Rock has often said he sleeps only about three to five hours a night.
He’s known for waking up well before sunrise to squeeze in one workout, then
lifting again later in the day. For him, early training sessions are a form of
meditation and stress relief.

Should you try it?

Chronic short sleep regularly getting less than six hours has been linked
to weight gain, mood issues, heart disease, and impaired decision-making.
Johnson may be a rare outlier, but most people will pay a steep health price
if they treat sleep as optional. You can copy his commitment, but keep more
than five hours of shut-eye.

6. Marissa Mayer: 130-Hour Weeks and “Payback” Vacations

Who she is

Marissa Mayer, former Yahoo! CEO and an early Google executive, is a tech
legend with a reputation for intense workweeks and near-mythic stamina.

The bizarre habit

She has spoken about working up to 130 hours a week, surviving on roughly
four hours of sleep a night. To “catch up,” she reportedly takes long quarterly
vacations where she finally sleeps around eight hours a night and decompresses.
It’s like trying to back up your sleep the way you back up a hard drive.

Should you try it?

Sleep debt doesn’t work like a savings account. While a couple of good nights
can fix short-term deprivation, long stretches of chronic sleep loss can’t be
fully erased by occasional “binge sleeping.” For long-term health, it’s far
better to aim for consistency than heroic catch-up weekends.

7. Matt Mullenweg: Six Naps Instead of One Night

Who he is

Matt Mullenweg, co-founder of WordPress and CEO of Automattic, is firmly in
the tech-visionary category: big ideas, global team, and unusual lifestyle
experiments.

The bizarre habit

Mullenweg has experimented with extreme polyphasic sleep specifically, taking
multiple short naps (for example, six 40-minute naps) scattered across the day.
In theory, you harvest only the most restorative parts of sleep and free up extra
waking hours for work and creativity.

Should you try it?

Polyphasic sleep has a cult following online, but research on its long-term
safety is limited. Many people who try it feel exhausted, socially isolated,
and eventually crash back into a normal schedule. Your brain and body like
rhythm; constantly interrupting that rhythm is rarely a win.

8. Leonardo da Vinci: The Ultimate 20-Minute Napper

Who he was

Leonardo da Vinci wasn’t rich in the modern billionaire sense, but his works
are now worth hundreds of millions, and his name is a global luxury brand all
by itself. Few humans have ever packed more creativity into one lifetime.

The bizarre habit

He reportedly followed a radical polyphasic schedule, taking 20-minute naps
about every four hours and skipping normal nighttime sleep. Over 24 hours,
that adds up to roughly two hours of total rest. It’s the famous “Uberman”
sleep cycle basically living your life as a series of micro power-nap breaks.

Should you try it?

While it makes for a great productivity myth, this kind of schedule is brutal
on most people. Severe long-term sleep restriction can worsen memory, immunity,
and mood, and raise the risk of accidents. You can admire the art without
adopting the artist’s sleep schedule.

9. Nikola Tesla: Barely Sleeping and Odd Pre-Bed Rituals

Who he was

Nikola Tesla was an eccentric genius whose ideas helped shape modern electricity.
His name now brands a high-end car company and is associated with innovation
and wealth even though he himself died nearly broke.

The bizarre habit

Tesla reportedly slept only about two hours a night and claimed to rest just
five hours total in a day, counting brief naps. Biographers also describe
quirky rituals, like repeatedly curling his toes or walking a specific number
of steps before bed, which he believed stimulated his brain.

Should you try it?

Tesla’s life is a cautionary tale: immense brilliance, but also burnout,
obsession, and eventual decline. His extreme sleep habits are more warning
label than role model. If anything, his story reminds us that mental health
and rest matter at least as much as inventions and output.

10. Eminem: The Tin-Foil Blackout Cave

Who he is

Rapper Eminem is one of the best-selling music artists of all time, with
awards, influence, and wealth to match. He’s also spoken openly about insomnia
and how hard it can be to switch his brain off.

The bizarre habit

To sleep, Eminem reportedly makes his room as dark as physically possible
not just using blackout curtains, but sometimes covering windows with aluminum
foil to block every bit of light. He also favors white noise, like loud fans
or a constant TV hum, to drown out intrusive thoughts.

Should you try it?

Darkness is actually one of the most science-backed sleep aids: light exposure
at night suppresses melatonin and confuses your body clock. You don’t need
tin foil, but blackout curtains, dim lamps at night, and avoiding bright screens
before bed are all smart moves.

What These Weird Sleep Habits Have in Common

When you zoom out, the rich and famous often do the same things the rest of us
do they simply turn the dial to extremes:

• They treat sleep as a tool. Altitude rooms, hyperbaric
  chambers, and blackout caves are all ways of manipulating sleep to perform
  better, not just to rest.
• They bend schedules around their work. Multiple naps,
  3 a.m. alarms, or late-night deep work sessions reflect careers with more
  control over time than most people have.
• They rely on support systems. Personal chefs, assistants,
  trainers, and flexible teams help “cover” for the side effects of odd
  sleep routines.
• They often pay a price. Several of these people have
  admitted to missing key events, burning out, or struggling with emotional
  health while pushing sleep to the limit.

In short, money can buy specialized sleep gadgets, but it can’t buy a new
nervous system. The basic biology of sleep still applies, even in a mansion.

Why Copying the Sleep Habits of the Rich Can Backfire

Most sleep researchers recommend that adults aim for about seven to nine hours
of sleep per night on a regular schedule. Short-term experiments like a few
nights of less sleep or a small shift in bedtime may not cause lasting harm.
But turning yourself into a permanent science project can go wrong fast.

Chronic sleep deprivation is linked to:

• Higher risk of heart disease, stroke, and high blood pressure
• Increased hunger and weight gain due to hormone disruption
• Impaired focus, slower reaction times, and more accidents
• Worse mood, higher anxiety, and more intense emotional swings
• Weakened immune function and slower recovery from illness

Meanwhile, good sleep even if it’s “boring” by celebrity standards
improves memory, creativity, problem solving, and emotional resilience. In other
words, the unglamorous routine of going to bed at the same time every night
might be one of the most powerful “wealth habits” you can adopt.

Real-World Experiences with Rich-People Sleep Experiments

Curious people all over the world have tried to copy these bizarre sleep habits,
and their experiences are surprisingly consistent. You can find blog posts,
Reddit threads, and personal essays from people who tested everything from
polyphasic schedules to blackout caves. The patterns in their stories are
useful lessons especially if you’re tempted to experiment yourself.

Experiment 1: The Polyphasic Dream (That Turned Into a Nightmare)

Many people have tried the “Uberman” or “Everyman” sleep schedules inspired by
figures like Da Vinci and Tesla. For the first few days, they often feel oddly
energized and excited like they’ve hacked life and unlocked six extra hours
in the day. But by week two, the tone changes. They report:

• Struggling to stay awake at social events and work meetings
• Feeling emotionally volatile snapping at friends or coworkers
• Needing caffeine just to function between nap windows
• Falling into unintended “emergency naps” that wreck the schedule

Most of these experiments end the same way: a crash into a long, deep sleep
and a sheepish admission that the human body really does want one extended rest
period each day.

Experiment 2: The Blackout Bedroom

On the other hand, everyday people who test “Eminem-style” blackout sleeping
usually have a much more positive story. They dim lights an hour before bed,
add blackout curtains, and ban harsh overhead lighting at night. Many describe:

• Falling asleep faster, with less racing thoughts
• Waking up fewer times in the middle of the night
• Feeling more refreshed, even when total sleep time stays the same

Some even notice they wake up without an alarm after a few weeks, because
their internal clock finally runs on a clear, predictable light–dark cycle.
No aluminum foil required just a darker room and more consistent routine.

Experiment 3: The “Rock” Routine

Plenty of high achievers have tried the “sleep less, grind more” lifestyle
inspired by ultra-disciplined figures like The Rock. At first, it feels great:
waking up at 4 a.m. to exercise gives a sense of control and momentum. But over
time, common complaints appear:

• Afternoon energy crashes that feel like hitting a wall
• Increased cravings for sugar and caffeine to stay alert
• More frequent colds or headaches
• Workouts that feel weaker, not stronger, after weeks of short sleep

Many people eventually compromise: keeping the early workout, but shifting
bedtime earlier so total sleep stays closer to seven hours. They keep the
discipline and lose the chronic exhaustion.

Experiment 4: Tech CEO Wind-Down Routines

Not every rich-person sleep habit is extreme. Some executives focus on
structured wind-down routines instead of sleep deprivation. They stop checking
email after a certain time, keep a notepad by the bed to offload worries,
or use a short reflection or gratitude practice before sleep.

When ordinary people copy these habits, the results are often noticeably
positive: fewer nightmares about deadlines, less doom-scrolling, and a stronger
sense that the day has a clear emotional “end.” It turns out that a calm mind
before bed is one of the best free upgrades you can give your sleep.

The common thread in all these experiments is simple: habits that work with
your biology (darkness, regular schedules, calmer evenings) tend to stick and
feel good. Habits that fight biology (extreme sleep restriction, erratic naps,
or all-nighters) usually collapse under their own weight.

The Bottom Line: Sleep Like You’re Rich in Common Sense

The rich and famous offer fascinating case studies in what humans will do
for an edge or simply to cope with unusual lives. Altitude bedrooms,
oxygen capsules, tin-foil blackout caves, and three-hour nights all make for
entertaining headlines. But they’re not requirements for success, and in many
cases they’re actively bad ideas for regular people.

The real “billionaire” sleep habit is surprisingly unsexy:
protecting your rest as if it were one of your most valuable assets.
That means:

• Prioritizing a consistent bedtime and wake time
• Keeping your bedroom dark, cool, and quiet
• Reducing screens and stress in the hour before bed
• Getting help if you suspect insomnia, sleep apnea, or another disorder

You don’t need a hyperbaric chamber or a “snoratorium” to sleep well. You just
need a routine that respects how your body is built. Wealth might give people
more exotic options but good, honest sleep is one of the few luxuries that’s
still available to everyone.

SEO Snapshot & Article Summary

to copy and which to avoid.

sapo:
From Michael Phelps’s altitude bedroom to Eminem’s tin-foil blackout cave, the
rich and famous have some truly strange sleep habits. This in-depth guide
breaks down ten of the most bizarre routines including hyperbaric chambers,
extreme polyphasic schedules, and 3 a.m. workouts and explains what science
actually says about them. You’ll see how celebrities, athletes, and tech
moguls use sleep to boost performance (or accidentally wreck their health),
plus discover which simple, realistic habits can help you sleep better without
a billionaire budget.